EU, Africa Union express alarm at crisis in S. Sudan.

BRUSSELS, Oct 25 (KUNA) -- The African Union Peace and Security Council and European Union Political and Security Committee held their 9th Annual Joint Consultative Meeting in Brussels Tuesday as part of regular dialogue within the framework of Africa-EU partnership. In a joint communique, the two sides said the meeting focused on conflict and crisis situations in Africa namely, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Somalia, Sahel/Mali, South Sudan, Burundi and Guinea Bissau, as well as the enhancement of AU and EU cooperation on peace and security issues. On South Sudan, they expressed alarm at the deep crisis that the country continues to face on many fronts namely, security, humanitarian, political, economic and developmental. They reaffirmed their continued engagement in order to avoid an outbreak of renewed violence, especially at the end of the rainy season. On Somalia, the two sides agreed that a continued strong engagement to support the political process leading to democratisation and federalisation, and the fight against Al Shabaab, will remain the priorities for the AU and the EU. On the Sahel/Mali, they expressed their deep concern with the increase in terrorist activities, in particular the spreading of terrorist attacks and violent extremism to the centre and south of Mali, as well as in the Sahel region as a whole, with a potential spill-over effect on the whole sub-region. They commended the progress made by the Multinational Joint Task force in combating the Boko Haram terrorist group and expressed their willingness to continue working closely together in further supporting the task force in its efforts in combating terrorism in the Sahel. (end) nk.bs

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